In his Tonight Show monologue Friday night, Conan O'Brien threw his hat in the ring to replace Oprah, following her announcement that she would leave her syndicated show after next year's 25th season.O'Brien even offered a new segment. Since Oprah was in charge of what people read, and Conan confessed he isn't much on reading, he offered to suggest DVDs for people to watch. The first Conan DVD Club selection? Kill Dozer, about a killer bulldozer.
There isn't a new 30 Rock tomorrow night (there is a new Jay Leno Show however - sigh), but that doesn't mean we can't get our fix of Kenneth Parcell quirkiness this week. Jack McBrayer was on The Tonight Show last night. First clip is below and the other two clips are after the jump.
If you need more proof that the economic collapse is the real thing -- you know, other than your shrinking salary, skyrocketing medical insurance premiums, inability to pay off your credit cards -- here's a major sign. Oprah Winfrey's decided not to do her annual Favorite Things show for the holiday season. That's right, after seven years of largesse, The Oprah Winfrey Show has canceled the funfest of goodies.
Huffington Post has learned exclusively that Favorite Things was scrapped. It used to be a Thanksgiving week staple. The reasons are unclear, but it would seem incongruous to celebrate expensive robes, top of the line chocolates, camcorders and the like when so many people are out of work and in financial straits.
I had no idea that Gossip Girl'sBlake Lively spent that last dozen or so Thanksgivings with Jimmy Fallon. In this clip, we see what happened on those days and why they're spending Thanksgiving apart this year.
I love the reaction of the audience at the start, sensing tension and humor but not really sure what' going on.
If you never managed to catch Andy Barker, P.I. when it originally aired two years ago, try not to beat yourself up. Though the show had an impressive cast, led by Andy Richter as a CPA-turned-private-investigator, and including Harve Presnell, Tony Hale, Marshall Manesh, and Clea Lewis. It was also created by Conan O'Brien and Jonathan Groff. But it only lasted six episodes, and didn't seem to get much push from NBC. Watching it on the newly released DVD, Andy Barker, P.I.: The Complete Series, it's hard not to feel the show could have had legs if given the chance.
All's well that ends well, though, and Richter is happier than ever, paired again with Conan O'Brien on The Tonight Show, getting to do what he calls a "silly little comedy show" without dealing with the backwards world of the sitcom. I spoke with Richter earlier this week about Barker and being back with Conan.
Do you think Andy Barker, P.I. got a fair shake when it was first out?
Oh, certainly not. Absolutely not. It was sort of just, you know, shoved on TV and meant to go away.
After watching The Oprah Winfrey Show today and hearing her teary announcement about her decision to end her syndicated talk show, I had one thought in my head. Oprah Winfrey is doing a Johnny Carson. She's writing her own script (no pun intended). Oprah is leaving while she's still wanted, while she's still strong, and by setting the date 18 months down the road, she's giving herself a victory tour.
This is very much like Johnny Carson's decision to leave The Tonight Show. The difference, of course, is that Oprah's show is not an established landmark entity like The Tonight Show, which had Steve Allen and Jack Paar as hosts before Carson. No, Oprah was/is The Oprah Winfrey Show. She will not leave it behind for someone else to inherit the throne. She's taking the throne with her.
I thought that Cheech and Chong and Ann Coulter's gloves-off, no holds barred showdown/friendly exchange of ideas was the weirdest match up of all time. I officially stand corrected.
Rapper 50 Cent's posse and sportcaster Marv Albert got into a little backstage tussle on the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live and no one seems to know exactly why. If only we had someone at the scene who could describe what was happened "blow by blow" and then utter some kind of high energy word or phrase when something really exciting happens.
Apparently, a security guard just announced that Marv was walking down the hall the same time that 50 Cent and his crowd and the two threw down. Whatever the cause, it's unfortunate that it happened but more unfortunate for 50 Cent. If Marv Albert can walk away from your security entourage, maybe you need to consider some corporate restructuring.
So Oprah is ending her talk show in September 2011. The news first came out yesterday, but when she announced it on today's live show, there were still a few surprised moans in the audience. What, they didn't know about it already? Weird. Anyway, here's the clip with her announcement.
I hope she can still collect unemployment when the show ends, but I don't think you can if you quit your job.
The entire time I watched this clip from last night's Late Night, I was thinking, "if Taylor Lautner smashes into a wall face-first or falls off of the mini-bike and cracks his head open, Fallon is going to be in big trouble." The two guys raced around the NBC hallways on mini-bikes. The winner wins because he cheats.
Not coincidentally, that date is the day after the 25th anniversary of her first nationally-syndicated episode, and she'll mark the anniversary on her last show. Bennett told WCCO that this decision was under discussion for months, but the decision ultimately came down to the big O herself.